On Tuesday, a Palestinian gunman killed five people in the third suspected terrorist attack in Israel in just one week. In the past few days, two attacks conducted by Arab citizens of Israel with suspected ties to the Islamic State have occurred, leaving security forces on high alert. Tuesday’s attack occurred on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, in the ultra-Orthodox town of Bnei Brak. According to Israeli security forces, a gunman arrived on a motorcycle and shot four civilians before being killed in a shootout with security forces, during which one officer was also killed.
The gunman was a 26-year-old Palestinian man from a village near the West Bank city of Jenin. The gunman had reportedly serviced six months in prison prior to the attack under charges related to a security incident. According to security forces, the individual was residing illegally in Bnei Brak. Although Israel and Arab countries within the region have come to better terms, peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine have been at a stalemate for years. Israeli security forces have been concerned over an escalation of violence between the two sides in the West Bank and Jerusalem as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan approaches.
Read More: Palestinian Gunman Shoots Five Dead In Central Israel
